Unbound
by djewellz
Summary: It was his duty to rescue her from Rukongai. It was his duty to protect her. It had even been his duty to go along with her execution when it was ordered. But it had not been his duty to fall in love with her. And yet Byakuya found himself deeply and irreparably in love with the girl he had taken in so many years ago.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Unbound  
**Word Count (Chapter): **3,361  
**Genre: **Romance/Angst/Drama  
**Rating**: T - mainly for language, nothing too hardcore here  
**Pairing:** Eventual Byakuya/Rukia, some unrequited Renji/Rukia, Ikkaku/Yumichika (mentioned only), Shuhei/Matsumoto (mentioned only); others may pop up as I write, considering I don't plan my stories out completely in advance before writing :)  
**Synopsis:** It was his duty to rescue her from Rukongai. It was his duty to protect her. It had even been his duty to go along with her execution. But it had not been his duty to fall in love with her. And yet Byakuya found himself deeply and irreparably in love with the girl he had taken in so many years ago.

**Author's Note:** So this little idea popped into my head this morning and wouldn't leave me alone until I managed to put it onto paper. I've never written this pairing before, so hopefully I manage to do it some justice! :)

* * *

**Unbound  
**Chapter One

by djewellz :)

How had it come to this?

Byakuya Kuchiki stared out into the garden in the Squad Six compound, where two people were sitting and talking quite animatedly. She looked so much like her sister; the resemblance was uncanny. There were slight differences, especially now that she had cut her hair shorter. Her eyes were darker, fiercer, and she moved with the grace of a fighter.

Hisana had been soft where Rukia was angular, gentle where Rukia was determined. It was partly due to her background, growing up in one of the harshest districts of Rukongai. She had had to be strong in order to survive. She had been molded by her friends into a woman capable of great things.

One of those friends was sitting across from her now. Renji Abarai was staring at her intently as she spoke to him. Byakuya knew adoration when he saw it. His eyes never left hers; without saying so, he knew that Renji would easily give anything if it meant Rukia's happiness. He had almost died, several times, in order to save her from harm. It was the deepest and truest kind of love, born out of deep friendship and similarity.

He could not help but feel jealous.

He turned away from the window in shame and sat down at his desk, pulling a stack of unfinished paperwork towards him.

He had tried to bury these feelings deep within himself for some time now. What good would it do him? Jealousy was unbecoming of someone of his stature. To think that he was actually jealous of _Abarai_… it was unforgiveable, and he detested himself for it.

Rukia was his adopted sister. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she felt nothing for him but respect and honorable admiration. He'd never made any attempt to befriend her, that was certain. When he had first found her, in the Soul Reaper Academy all those years ago, he had not been able to speak to her freely. It was too painful, reminding him too much of Hisana. By the time he had recovered from the grief of his wife's passing, Rukia had been condemned as a traitor, and the cards had been cast.

It was cruel, almost. They had never had any real time to get to know one another. As soon as that arrogant Kurosaki had rescued her, the Soul Society had been swept up into the war with Aizen and the Arrancars. There had been no time for idle conversation and lazy days spent in each other's company. On top of that, he was a captain, and she had been made a lieutenant. They each had their respective duties.

Ah, yes. Duty.

Death was lighter than a feather, but duty was heavier than a mountain.

It had been a sense of duty that had spurred him to adopt Rukia into the Kuchiki clan in the first place, a sense of duty towards the dead wife that his family had urged him not to take. But was merely adopting her truly doing right by Hisana? He had struggled with the question for years, unable to come to a conclusive answer.

He realized that he had stopped writing, and that ink was dripping onto the page on the desk. With a light sigh, he set aside the ruined page and set about to start anew on the report.

Byakuya Kuchiki knew much about duty. It had been drilled into him since he was a boy. His grandfather had let him know, in no uncertain terms, that this family was one of certain distinction, and that dishonor was unforgiveable. It was the reason his own father's name was barely mentioned in the household.

Sojun Kuchiki had been unfit to be a clan leader, and it had been known. He had been too kind, too gentle for the type of leadership that a noble family required. Byakuya had trained hard to surpass his father, to surpass his grandfather. And he had succeeded – his reputation as a cold but effortless leader was known throughout the Seireitei. Some believed he was the most famous captain of the entire Court Guard Squads.

But he had succeeded too well.

He had inspired leadership in his men and fear in his enemies with his cold indifference. But by the same actions, he had isolated himself from any type of relationship. Hisana had seen through it; she had called him on his passivity and broken through the walls that he had carefully crafted to protect himself from failure.

She had been very good at that, and not just with him. Hisana had had a gift for seeing straight to the heart of the matter. You could lie to her, tell her an elaborate story, or tell her truth – it would not matter. She would know what you truly meant, and what you really felt.

In a way, it had been uncanny.

Rukia, thankfully, did not possess that talent. She was intuitive, yes, and intelligent, but she was not her sister.

But perhaps that was what had attracted him in the first place. Her qualities were admirable, and what made her different from Hisana made him love her all the more. He had loved Hisana deeply, but they had not necessarily had a lot of personality traits in common. What he felt for Rukia was a different kind of love. He could _relate_ to Rukia; she faced her struggles with pride and dignity, even when it had pained her to do so. Hisana had ultimately not been able to defeat her demons. She had been dependent, whereas Rukia was independent.

And thus, he had no idea of how to approach her.

The report now finished, he shifted it to the side of his desk to allow the ink to dry and pulled another sheet of paper towards him. He heard laughter in the courtyard, the easy laughter of two people who spent too much time in each other's company.

Jealous of Abarai. The thought was enough to make him sick.

The voices quieted. A few moments later, there was a light tap on the screen to his office. "Enter," he called out softly. Without looking up from his desk, he could tell it was his lieutenant. Renji might have grown far more sophisticated since his childhood, but he still walked with all the grace of an elephant.

He looked up. His lieutenant's face was easygoing and unguarded – the exact opposite of Byakuya's own. His cheeks were flushed from laughter, and his hair was slightly disheveled. He imagined Rukia had pulled it that way; she often went for hair when she was insulted.

Byakuya found that his lieutenant's happiness made him angry. But he was careful not to show it. That would be unseemly.

"Yes?" he asked, unable to stop the dark edge from creeping into his voice.

Apparently Renji didn't pick up on his mood. "Captain, is there anything else you need me to do today?" he asked quickly. "It's, uh, Ichigo's birthday, and Rukia's planning a surprise party for him." He laughed. "Of course, she's making _me_ do all the dirty work."

Kurosaki's birthday? Hmm. Byakuya would have remembered, but he found he simply didn't care when it came to that boy. However, Rukia seemed to like him, and so he would have to remain civil. "A surprise party?" he asked. "How old is Ichigo now?"

"Uh… eighteen… I think," Renji said, frowning. "I dunno. But now he's old enough to legally drink! The world of the living is a real stickler for that; they have age requirements for everything, Rukia says."

Byakuya blinked. "Your plan is to get Kurosaki completely intoxicated?" he guessed.

Renji scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, me and Ikkaku have this idea… I'll spare you the details, but it involves a lot of sake, a camera, and a bunch of pranks."

"Hmm," Byakuya made a noncommittal noise. "You have already gone through the new training with the recruits?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And they appeared to be doing well?"

"Well enough, considering they just learned the new techniques a few days ago," Renji admitted. "Some are better than others, but I think they'll all get it with a bit more practice!"

Byakuya considered for a moment. It was a Friday afternoon; the war with Aizen had been completed, and the Fullbringers had been brought to justice. There was no imminent disaster on the horizon. Normally, he would have suggested Renji take the rest of the day off anyways. Friday's were generally uneventful, and he didn't like to be in the other's presence for too long; he found that that made his head hurt.

"You are dismissed," he said finally. "I expect you back from the world of the living by Monday morning. If I have need of you before then, I shall contact you."

"Ah, thank you, sir!" Renji bowed slightly before scuttling out of the office, no doubt to tell Rukia the good news.

Byakuya waited until his lieutenant's footsteps had completely faded out of his hearing before letting out a light sigh and setting down his pen. He wondered how long it would be before Rukia caught on to Renji's feelings for her; she seemed oblivious - whether purposefully or not - but he was not sure she would remain so for long.

Renji, for one, was terrible at keeping secrets. For another, their collective friends were most notorious for intervening in the worst possible scenarios. Already, their meddling had prompted those two buffoons from eleventh company – Madarame and Ayesegawa – to admit their relationship to the world. And they had forced Hisagi of ninth company to act upon his feelings for Matsumoto of tenth. He had no doubt that soon enough they would turn to Renji's unspoken love and force him to act upon it.

When that day came, Byakuya was unsure of how he would act. What would he do? What would he say? Most importantly… what would Rukia do?

* * *

"I can't believe Captain Kuchiki agreed, just like that!" Renji said happily to Rukia. He hoisted another keg of beer onto his shoulder with a grunt, moving it over to the table they'd set up in Urahara's basement. It had been the best place to have a party; it was concealed (so no noise complaints from humans), it was easily accessible to all the Soul Reapers Rukia had invited (so no one would get hopelessly lost in Karakura Town), and Kisuke Urahara had access to ridiculous amounts of alcohol.

In other words, it was the perfect place to celebrate Ichigo's eighteenth – as in finally freaking legal – birthday. Ichigo had said that in other places in the human world, you weren't allowed to drink until you were twenty-one. How fucking ridiculous was that?! What honestly changed between when you were eighteen and twenty-one? Ichigo hadn't been able to really explain it to him either.

"He did?" Rukia asked, surprised. "He didn't question you or anything?"

"Nope! Just asked if I'd finished going over some formations with the new recruits." Renji maneuvered the keg onto the table, setting it by the others, before stepping back to admire their handiwork.

Urahara had set up a series of tiles to form something called a "dance floor" in a corner of the training ground. It was right by the hot springs, which he had informed them could be turned into a form of human entertainment called a "hot tub". To one side of the dancing area were several tables, now laden with alcohol and snacks. A couple of tables were on the other side.

Now they just had to wait until it was time to for the guests arrive.

"Huh," Rukia said. "That's strange." She picked up a small blue bag. "I'm going to change behind that rock over there," she said, pointing to a nearby rock that was about as tall as Renji. "No peeking!"

He snorted. "Like I'd want to see your scrawny ass naked," he scoffed. Except, he did. Very badly. But she didn't need to know that.

"He's been acting a little… off lately, don't you think?" Rukia continued from behind the rock.

"How so?" Renji asked. He absently grabbed a few "chips" – a fucking _delicious_ snack Ichigo had introduced him to – and popped them in his mouth.

"Can't you tell?" Rukia asked. "There's something bothering him. It's been going on for several months now. It's almost as if there's a problem, and he doesn't know how to fix it."

Renji blinked. "How the hell can you tell?" he demanded. "His tone of voice never fucking changes! The only time he even moves his freaking mouth is to scowl at me!"

She stepped out from behind the rock; she had changed into a sleeveless lilac dress that hugged her body's small curves warmly. She'd pinned her hair back from her face with small butterfly hair clips, and traded her sandals for a pair of delicate looking purple silk shoes.

Fuck, but she was beautiful.

"Do I have something on my face?" Rukia asked, frowning at his scrutiny.

Cursing himself for his lack of control, Renji shook his head quickly, turning away to grab his own overnight bag. "Nah," he said. "Just not used to seeing you in a dress."

"Does it look bad?" Rukia asked quickly, in a brief moment of self-doubt.

"No, no, it looks fine!" he said quickly. It was _more_ than fine, he thought. It accentuated the creamy undertones in her skin tone perfectly, and made her dark hair stood out like a nimbus. "I'ma go change now." He moved behind the rock before he could stare at her again and get himself into an…er, uncomfortable situation.

He heard Rukia set her things down. "You really haven't noticed?"

"Huh?" Renji asked as he slipped out of his shihakusho. Oh, right. She'd been talking about her brother.

"My brother," she reminded him tartly. "Geez, Renji, I knew your memory was bad, but I just mentioned it a second ago."

"Yeah, yeah," he snapped, pulling on the jeans he'd brought with him. "But like I said, I can't tell when anything's bothering him. He's too much of a stony-faced prick to tell."

"Renji!"

"What?" he asked. Finished changing, he stepped back out into the open, throwing his bag over to the side. "He ain't exactly nice to me, Rukia." He adjusted the ponytail on his head, moving it back towards the center from where it had migrated. "In fact, sometimes I think the only reason he tolerates me at all is 'cuz of you."

She laughed. "You're probably right," she said. Her laughter died out and the concern flickered back into her eyes. "Still… I worry about him. He's been so quiet lately…"

"He's always quiet," Renji said flatly.

Rukia rolled her eyes and turned to face him, hands on her hips. "If all you're going to do is state the obvious, I suggest you shut up," she snapped. "I don't want to hear it."

"Whatever," he said, shrugging. He was careful to show that he didn't care, but of course he did. Rukia had always been better at deciphering Captain Kuchiki's feelings and moods than anyone else. She _did_ live with the guy, after all. He could never tell when his captain was facing a personal problem – unless of course it was a really big fucking problem. Then it was pretty obvious.

What surprised him so much was that she seemed bothered by it. Well, he did expect her to have some amount of concern for her _brother_. But it wasn't as if they were close – Byakuya Kuchiki had always held her at arm's length, almost as if he didn't _want_ to get to know her. That was what had made him so mad when she'd left him at the Academy. She'd been adopted into this great family and was going to have a great new life with an older brother – who didn't seem to give two shits about her. Hell, he'd been willing to let her die at the hands of that traitorous scum, Aizen!

It was a situation that he didn't understand.

"How long until the others arrive?"

Rukia looked down at the silver watch on her wrist. "It's only four-thirty," she said. "We didn't tell people to come until they were off duty, which, depending on the squad, ranges anywhere from five to eight." She looked up at him. "Got any ideas of what to do until then?"

He shrugged. "Might go for a walk," he said. "Clear my head a bit."

She snorted. "Clear your head?" she repeated. "You mean, there's actually stuff in there?"

He scowled at the joke. "Shut up!"

"I'm just saying," she said, throwing her hands up. "You aren't exactly the thinking type."

"Yeah, yeah, 'Renji's an idiot'," he said, repeating the opinion that so many Soul Reapers seemed to have of him. He wasn't sure where they got it from, honestly. Sure, he wasn't the sharpest zanpaku-to in the Soul Society, but he sure as hell wasn't the dullest either!

"Rukia! Renji!"

Rukia turned to see Orihime racing towards them from across the training grounds. Behind her was her friend, Tatsuki. They must've decided to come early to help set everything up.

"Orihime!" Rukia said happily. She hugged her friend tightly. "It's so good to see you!" She nodded politely at Tatsuki, whom she barely knew.

"I know!" Orihime gushed happily. "I'm so glad you came up with this idea!"

"Isn't it brilliant?" Rukia asked happily. "He'll never expect a thing!"

Renji excused himself from the crowd of estrogen and made his way back upstairs and outside the Urahara shop after popping into a gigai at Urahara's incessant prodding. Without really having a direct aim, he began to walk along the sidewalk, sticking his hands in his pockets.

He was glad Rukia had come up with this idea; it was nice to get away from the Soul Society every now and then. Seeing Ichigo was okay too; he had to admit, he'd gotten pretty close to the guy during the Winter War. They were like two peas in a pod, as much as it had pained him at first to admit it. They still didn't always get along – both of them were too headstrong for that – but their fights now were mostly composed of amicable bickering instead of patronizing jibes.

Not to mention he was stoked to get the other guy plastered.

He wondered absently what kind of drunk Ichigo would be - a sloppy drunk? He doubted that. An emotional drunk? Not likely. A happy drunk? …there was a possibility.

He couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Ichigo falling around, laughing, and making jokes due to alcohol. Thank the gods they'd brought a camera.

Renji paused at a street corner, waiting for a break in the cars to cross to the other side. He'd have preferred to stay in spirit form, but Urahara had wanted him to try out this new and improved gigai model. And his reasoning had been _very _persuasive. So he was stuck with a mortal body; unfortunately, he'd been told cars and human bodies didn't mix well.

To tell the truth, though, he wasn't just excited for the chance to relax and spend some time with his friends. He was relishing the chance to spend more time with Rukia.

To spend more time with the woman he loved more than his own life.

He'd always loved her. He knew that. Of course, he hadn't realized it later in life. At thirteen years old, he hadn't thought much beyond the next meal, and how to run around Rukongai without getting caught, or worse, killed. He'd only accepted his feelings in the Academy, with the help of friends like Kira and Momo. They had been able to see the situation from an outsider's perspective, and had given him the insight he needed.

But he'd never acted upon those feelings. Before he had known it, Rukia had been adopted and taken away from him. And then things had spiraled out of his control with Rukia being sent to the world of the living, getting condemned, almost being executed, and then the entire fucking war had happened. But now he had the opportunity to act; now the Soul Society was in a state of relative peace, for the first time in over a year.

It was now or never. If he didn't act, someone else would.

And he could not afford to let that happen.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! **

**Again, I hope I do them justice, having never really written them in this scenario before. I'd originally meant this as a one-shot, but couldn't do it without being incredibly long, haha. So I guess it'll be chapters!**

**Feel free to review! I love comments :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews/favorites/alerts! I appreciate them, and I hope I do your expectations justice :)**

**Hopefully this goes without saying, but anything in italics is a dream!**

* * *

Chapter Two

As it turned out, Ichigo Kurosaki was an incredibly touchy-feely drunk.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Rukia wouldn't have believed it. Instead of acting like his normal, aloof self, Ichigo was practically hanging onto Renji and Shuhei, his face flushed from the alcohol he'd consumed. He'd tripped over his feet more times than she could count, and fallen into the laps of both Orihime and Rangiku.

Shuhei had minded; the two women hadn't.

Rukia smiled; it was good to see Ichigo having fun. He had worried her so much during the Winter War. He had a tendency to take the weight of the world on his shoulders without allowing anyone to help him out. Of course, he was incredibly strong and capable. Of that she had no doubts. But she could tell that there were times when he felt helpless, as if he couldn't turn to anyone for help. He didn't like asking for help. He felt he shouldn't have to ask for it.

Everyone needed help sometimes though. It was human nature.

Which was why she'd told Shuhei to get his act together and to ask Rangiku out! It was obvious that he had the biggest crush on her, but he'd never done anything about it. You could only buy a borderline alcoholic woman so much sake because you were "just a nice guy". That excuse had stopped working about five years ago, and when she'd pointed that out to him, he'd seen reason soon enough.

She couldn't help but smirk, looking at her handiwork now. Rangiku was leaning heavily on Shuhei, the effects of her enormous alcohol intake taking its toll on her motor coordination, and he was practically purring.

She sniggered and tapped Renji, who was sitting at the table across from her. She pointed to the two of them. "Am I good or what?" she asked jokingly.

Renji snorted when he saw what she was pointing at. "I'm just glad Hisagi finally got off his ass and did something," he replied.

Ikkaku, who was also sitting at their table, snorted. "Yeah, because _you've_ done such a stellar job of gettin' off your ass," he muttered.

If looks could kill, Renji would've slaughtered Ikkaku right then and there.

Rukia frowned, looking between the two of them; based upon Renji's reaction to Ikkaku's remark, there had to be something there. But… what? Renji had a crush on someone?

"You like someone?" she asked, leaning forward.

"No!" Renji said quickly.

"You _so_ do," Rukia said, picking up on the element of panic in his voice.

"I do not!" he continued emphatically, shooting Ikkaku a glare.

"Yeah, and Ikkaku has hair," Rukia said dryly.

"What?!" Ikkaku yelped, turning to her angrily. "I am not bald!"

"Of course not," she said flatly. "We can all see your magnificent, flowing mane."

"I am not bald," Ikkaku repeated darkly. He stood up and stalked away, grabbing Yumichika – who was dancing with Orihime – and moving over to get something else to drink.

"I think I touched a nerve," Rukia said innocently. She laughed and looked back at Renji. He had been smirking at Ichigo – who was currently trying to pick up Ishida and run around with him in a piggyback race against Chad and Keigo to no avail – but his features were considerably darker now.

"Are you going to answer my question?" she prodded.

"No," he said, not even turning to look at her. "There's nothing to answer. I don't like anybody."

She snorted. "C'mon, Renji, you know you can't lie to me," she said. "Of all people. Really, why would you even try?"

"I said I don't like anyone, okay?" he snapped. "Let it go!"

She blinked at the sharpness in his tone. "Geez, fine," she said finally. "What's got your hair in a knot?"

He moved from the table then, going to join in Ichigo's antics. Rukia watched him, confused, as he immediately immersed himself into the conversation with their younger human friend, not appearing the least bit disturbed. It was obviously fake, but she had to wonder… why was Renji so upset? It was just a silly joke Ikkaku had made. Ikkaku was _never_ serious; even when was fighting, he often made jokes and took stupid risks.

"Rukia!"

Orihime plopped into the chair across from her, grinning wildly. Her own cheeks were rosy from the drinks she'd had, and her hair was fighting the clips in her hair. She looked so happy.

"What are you doing sitting over here all by yourself?" Orihime asked.

"Well, I was talking to Renji!" Rukia explained. "But then Ikkaku made a joke, and Renji took it way too personally, and now he's being a sourpuss."

"A joke?" Orihime repeated. "But… Renji likes jokes!"

"I know!" Rukia said. She shook her head. "Boys are weird."

"Yeah," Orihime said, looking down. She couldn't fight the blush that spread across her cheeks. "They're… weird."

"Are you okay, Orihime?" Rukia asked. Had her friend perhaps had too much to drink?

Orihime looked up; her eyes flickered briefly to Ichigo and then back to Rukia's face. "O-of course, Rukia!" she stammered. "I've never been better!" Her stomach growled just then. "Well, I guess I'm a little hungry… maybe I'll go get some snacks!" She moved to slink away.

Rukia caught her by the wrist. "Not so fast!" she said mischievously. Orihime tried to get away, but without success. Rukia's hands could be like vices when she was cornering her prey.

"You like Ichigo, don't you?" she asked, smirking. It wasn't as if this was new to her – Orihime was terrible at keeping secrets. Her face was too open, too easily read for a practiced sneak like Rukia to misinterpret. Orihime didn't just like Ichigo – she really loved him. It was pretty obvious to everyone but Ichigo, actually. She had a running pool of bets in Squad Thirteen on when they'd get together. Her captain thought it would be sooner rather than later, but some others didn't put much faith in Ichigo's awareness.

She didn't really either, but she _did_ put some stock in her own matchmaking abilities.

"What? No!" Orihime said quickly, trying to wave it off.

"Sure," Rukia agreed. She stood up and walked over to Orihime, putting an arm around her. She would've reached for shoulders, but she wasn't quite tall enough for that. How she hated being short! "So what are you gonna do about it?"

"I… I don't know," Orihime said, finally giving in. "I don't think he sees me that way."

Rukia snorted. "Ichigo doesn't see anything, even when it's right in front of his nose," she said flatly. "He's an idiot. Honestly, I don't really see what you see in him."

"But he's so courageous!" Orihime said. "He's protective, and fiercely loyal! He would do anything to save one of us, and he'd never expect anything in return! He's… he's a good person, Rukia."

"Of course he is!" Rukia said. "But he's also arrogant, pig-headed, a bit rough around the edges, and oblivious. _That's _why I don't get the attraction!"

Orihime smiled at her. "I guess we just seem him a little differently," she offered.

"Must be," Rukia agreed. "But like I asked earlier… what are you gonna do about it?"

"I wasn't planning on doing anything," Orihime said quietly. "I don't think he likes me that way."

Rukia snorted. "You're hot, and he's eighteen!" she pointed out. "Of course he likes you that way!" Orihime flushed. "So why don't you go up and tell him? He's so drunk there's no way he'll resist!"

"But what if he doesn't like it?" Orihime asked, turning to Rukia nervously. "What if he hates it? I don't want to lose his friendship, Rukia! I can live with not being his girlfriend, but I can't not be his friend!"

"Well, he probably won't remember much in the morning anyways," Rukia said flatly. "Did you see how many shots he took with Ikkaku?"

"I don't know, Rukia," Orihime said quietly. She looked up sadly and her eyes widened in alarm.

Rukia turned to see what she was looking at. She smirked; Ichigo was coming right towards them, stumbling and laughing.

Gods… how weird was it to see _Ichigo_ laughing? It surely wasn't something she thought she'd ever see in her lifetime.

"Oi, Orihime!" Ichigo said, spluttering a bit due to the alcohol. "Great party, huh? Are you having fun?"

"Oh, yes, Ichigo!" Orihime said. Without her noticing, Rukia slipped behind her friend. "I'm having a great-" Just a little push… there!

Orihime fell forward into Ichigo, who in his inebriated state couldn't catch very well. She yelped as they fell to the ground, her landing in a very suggestive position on top of Ichigo, their faces nearly touching.

"Shit!" Ichigo said. He giggled – freaking giggled! "Are you okay?"

Orihime looked down at him, blushing scarlet. "A-ah, yes," she said. She didn't make any move to get off him though.

Ichigo was staring at her intently.

"Are you alright, Ichigo?" Orihime asked, flinching under the scrutiny. She didn't seem to notice that his hands had wrapped themselves around her shoulders. "You didn't hit your head, did you? Do you want me to move?"

"Nah," Ichigo said. He leaned forward them, planting a huge – and somewhat sloppy – kiss on her mouth. If it was possible at this point, Orihime flushed even darker. People who had stopped when they'd heard Orihime's yelp made appreciative noises, including catcalls and whistles, at the kiss. Ichigo pulled back, smirking. "I think I like having you right there."

* * *

"_Finally,_" Ikkaku breathed next to Renji. "Took them fucking long enough!"

Renji snorted. "Like Ichigo would notice if a girl was interested," he said. "Idiot's totally oblivious."

"I know someone else who's pretty fucking clueless," Ikkaku said helpfully.

"Shut up," Renji snapped. He still hadn't forgotten Ikkaku's earlier comment.

"Eh," Ikkaku shrugged it off. "Think he'll remember any of this in the mornin'?"

"He better," Renji said. "Orihime might not say anything, but I'm sure Rukia won't let him forget."

They fell silent for several moments, watching as Ichigo and Orihime finally disentangled themselves and stood. The redheaded girl looked embarrassed, but in a happy sort of way. Ichigo had wrapped an arm around her, a stupid grin on his face as their human friends came up to offer... congratulations? Renji wasn't sure what the right protocol was.

It was strange, he thought, seeing Ichigo look _happy._ Of course he knew the teenager wasn't naturally sullen all of the time, but so much shit had happened in such a short period of time that he wasn't used to seeing the guy so uninhibited.

Of course that could just be the alcohol.

He was envious of his friend. His own romantic situation was different. For one thing, their lives were completely different. Ichigo was eighteen and inexperienced, and if things didn't work out between him and Orihime, he'd survive. They hadn't known each other that long, nor did they knew each other that _well. _The ending of relationships were rarely good, but Ichigo and Orihime would manage if it came to that.

Rukia knew everything about Renji. Not just the good things, but the bad things. She was his best friend, had been with him through almost every major experience in his life. How could he risk all of that by exposing his true feelings for her? After all, there was no guarantee that she returned them. Could they recover from that?

"Oi."

Renji turned to Ikkaku, eyebrows raised in a silent question.

"You better do somethin' about Rukia," Ikkaku said quietly. "And quick."

Renji frowned. "Whaddaya mean?"

"Rukia's attractive, and her last name brings in quite a bit of attention," Ikkaku replied. "She's smart and witty, and only going up in her division. You do the math – someone is gonna make a move on that soon." He looked over at Renji. "Is it gonna be you? Or someone else?"

"You think someone else loves her?"

"Dunno," Ikkaku said with a shrug. "I just know what I see. An' I see that she's got a lot goin' for her. So if I can see it… other people do too. Yanno?"

Renji snorted. "I think you underestimate how scared of her brother people are," he reminded his friend. "The Captain wouldn't let just _anybody_ date Rukia."

"And what if it was someone he approved of?" Ikkaku persisted. "What if it was someone he _liked?_"

Renji paused for a moment, considering. He hadn't really considered that possibility. What did his captain think of Rukia's potential suitors? He would veto any candidate that he deemed unworthy, that was for sure.

But… what if there _was_ someone Byakuya Kuchiki approved of for his sister? What then would he do?

"Eh, don't pay me too much attention," Ikkaku said suddenly. Renji looked over at his friend, drawn out of his reverie. "Yumichika wanted me to say somethin'. Dunno why he didn't just tell you himself." He shrugged. "But I think he's right. You'd best make your move."

Renji nodded.

He did know that. He knew it all too well.

* * *

_The thing that struck him the most was her smell._

_As far as he knew, she didn't wear any sort of perfume. And yet her skin, petal soft, lily white, was as fragrant as the most vibrant cherry blossoms. He couldn't help but breathe it in at the junction between her neck and shoulders._

_She breathed out a sigh beneath him, timid hands rising to grasp his shoulders. She was… hesitant, unsure. _

_As if he could have refused her anything._

_His lips memorized the skin beneath them carefully, laying kisses on every inch of flesh exposed by her silk yukata. _

_He felt her grip on him tighten as he readjusted them on the futon, distributing his weight evenly so as not to lay too heavily on her small body. He felt rather than saw her nervous smile against the side of his face as he turned her head sideways and kissed gently at her jawline._

_She let him do as he wished, nothing indicating whether she approved or disapproved save the small breathy noises she made every now and then. He was painfully aware of how fragile she was beneath him, how soft and delicate. _

_She was quite literally like a flower._

_"__Byakuya… "_

_A rare smile gracing his lips, he drew back to look down at her. She so rarely said his given name, even now, married to him. _

_The hair was dark, black and streaming against the whiteness of the futon. Her pale skin was flushed ever so slightly across her delicate cheekbones, her mouth slightly open. _

_But her eyes…_

_Those violet eyes shone with a determination and heat that he'd never seen before. Gone was the demure gaze she'd so often sent in his direction; gone was the sense of gentle timidity that he knew of her. There were other differences too. Her face changed slightly, ever so slightly, into one that was similar but not the same._

_It was different, but not an unpleasant different. _

_She smiled up at him, a full beam that showed off her white teeth. Her hands tightened, drawing him closer, confident of what she wanted. He willingly let himself be drawn in towards her, pressing their lips together once, twice, three times. _

_"__Rukia…"_

Wrenching his eyes open, a startled Byakuya awoke from his dream. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, recalling what he'd seen in his mind's eye.

It was unthinkable. A memory of him with Hisana had somehow morphed into a dream of him and Rukia. The change had been so slight, but utterly perceptible. He had liked the change; Hisana had always been rather timid and demure, gentle and never demanding in every aspect of her life. Rukia was anything but; she was independent, determined, and passionate.

It was unforgiveable. To disgrace his wife's memory like that, by defiling such a private moment with what… his desire for her sister? They said that dreams were the unfulfilled, unconscious desires of the human soul, but he could not help but feel guilty for their content.

He stood and walked to a screen door, beyond which was a garden. He slid it open quietly and knelt.

The garden was lovely at this time of year, the blossoms on the lone cherry tree in full bloom. They would not last for long; they never did. It was the nature of the cherry tree – ephemeral, but full of passion. It was ironic that his zanpaku-to had taken their shape; his cherry blossoms, so often an emblem of life, were used for nothing by death.

A gentle breeze blew in through the opening he'd created, chilling him enough for his flesh to prickle. He did not close the screen though. The moon was shining beautifully on the small pond, and he rather enjoyed the peace of the night.

He did not dare to dream again. Not now that he knew what waited for him behind his closed eyelids.

Was it not enough that he had to see Rukia on a regular basis, and say nothing to her? Was it not enough that she was constantly thrown into his presence and surrounded by other people, so full of life and laughter, and not because of him? He had thought that the love he bore her was painful enough in his waking state.

Now his dreams were to haunt him as well?

He closed his eyes. Rukia's face stared back at him, posited on the spot where Hisana's should have rested.

He jerked his eyes back open.

No. There would be no sleep for him tonight.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I'm not entirely happy with all of this chapter... but I hadn't updated in a while, so I wanted to post something! :) **

**Some notes:**

**- I know that Ichigo might seem out of character here, and I hope it's not too bad... but he IS drunk, and for the first time at that, and I know (from experience, lol) that you can act very silly in that situation!**

**- Cherry blossoms are considered a symbol of life in some Buddhist traditions, because they only bloom for a very short period of time, but when they do, they're very full and beautiful. It's kind of the "life is short but beautiful" metaphor.**

**Reviews are loved! :)**


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